"I think I'm allergic to you."
Dana's cheeks were red and her arms were swelling like balloons being filled with helium. She scratched at her neck, frowning at Logan who was pulling his lighter out of his pocket. He had started smoking a year ago when he heard his parents were getting divorced. It had been a stressful time and he needed to take something up that would take his mind off things.
"You can't be allergic to me," Logan said, lighting a cigarette. "No one can resist me after all." He inhaled some smoke and then coughed. He didn't stop for awhile. Dana hit him on the back to help him. He swatted her away and glared at her. "I can do it myself, you know. I don't need you slapping me on the back."
Dana scowled. "Well, I'm sorry I tried."
"You should be." Logan straightened up and lifted the cigarette to his lips. This time he didn't double over coughing. He glanced over at Dana to see her reaction. Her lips were pursed together and she was still scratching her neck. Her eyes were cloudy and her eyebrows furrowed together as if she was thinking hard.
"What?"
Dana snapped out of her trance like state. "Huh?"
"What are you thinking about?" Logan asked. He dropped his cigarette on the ground and squashed it into the dirt with his foot. Then he immediately pulled another cigarette from his pocket and lit that one. Taking a long drag, he smiled with satisfaction.
"That's sick you know," Dana mumbled.
"What is?"
"You are."
Logan laughed, coughing as he did so. "Yeah, sure," he said, rolling his eyes. "I know you love me, Dana, why don't you just admit it?" He paused. "I know why. You don't want to go out with a smoker do you? You think I'll make you do bad things and then you think you'll die of bad lungs or something." He laughed again, sputtering slightly. When Dana didn't reply he said, "Whatever. It's your loss you know. You don't get to be with the Logan Reese, the hottest guy at PCA."
"Oh, please," Dana mumbled. "Don't make me sick."
Logan sighed. "Dana… what happened between us? Everything was so great last year, wasn't it? Why did you have to go mess everything up? I want things to be like they used to be." He dropped his cigarette on the ground and looked over at Dana with large eyes.
Dana looked away. "I didn't mess it up Logan," she said, her eyes filling with tears. She turned to stare at him directly in the eyes. They were alone on the basketball court. They had come out for some fresh air, but no sooner had they stepped outside had Logan pulled out his lighter. Their eyes were locked and Dana felt a single tear slide down her cheek. "You did."
"I'm going to my part time job now," Zoey said as she pulled her blue sweater over her head. "Today's my first day and I don't want to be late." She glanced at her watch. It was 1:45. Her shift started at 2:15. She had plenty of time, but she wanted to get to the restaurant where had been hired extra early.
"Okay, have fun." Nicole was lying on her bed, scribbling away in a pink notebook. She had been writing poems since lunch. She wrote poems about things she liked, things she didn't like, foods she liked, foods she didn't like, boys she liked, boys she thought were hot, boys and their boxers, boys and their hair, and cats who liked to eat caramel. That one was her favourite.
"Same to you," Zoey said, grabbing her key. She pulled on her running shoes and left room 101 and headed outside. It was a ten minute walk to Coconut Tree House which was the restaurant she had been hired at. It was a trendy new place that all the kids were going to. Zoey had been lucky to get a job there.
She headed down the stairs to the student lounge where she pushed opened the glass door and trudged outside. It was a cool November day and the wind was blowing girls' hair all over the place. Zoey zipped up her coat all the way up to her chin and started to head toward the Coconut Tree House. The restaurant was, as you may be able to tell, inside an extremely large tree house. You had to climb a ladder to get in and it had a Hawaiian theme with coconuts and palm trees inside for decoration. It was on campus and was near the movie theater. Zoey would be meeting Chase there after her shift ended at 6:30.
While she walked to her new job, Zoey decided to listen to some music. She fumbled around her purse and brought out her MP3 player. She plugged the earphones into her ears and turned it on and flipped it to her favourite song. She tried not to sing along too loudly as she walked.
The real me is a Southern girl
With her Levi's on and an open heart
Wish I could save the world
Like I was Supergirl
The real me used to laugh all night
Lying in the grass, just talking 'bout love
But lately I've been jaded
Life got so complicated
I start thinking about it
Almost forgot what it was like
To know when it feels right
But with you
I can let my hair down
I can say anything crazy
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground
With nothing but a T-shirt on
I never felt so beautiful
Baby, as I do now
Now that I'm with you
With you
With you
With you
Now that I'm with you
You speak and it's like a song
And just like that, all my walls come down
It's like a private joke
Just meant for us to know
I relate to you naturally
Everybody else just fades away
Sometimes it's hard to breathe
Just knowing you found me
'Cause I start thinking about it
I almost forgot what it was like
To know when love feels right
'Cause with you
I can let my hair down
I can say anything crazy
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the-
"ZOEY!"
Zoey turned around and pulled out her earplugs. Quinn was standing behind her with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "Oh sorry Quinn," Zoey said apologetically. She switched her MP3 player off and shoved it into her purse. "Were you calling me?"
"Yes," Quinn said, jumping up and down to keep warm. "I was, actually. Where are you heading to?" She wore a rainbow scarf that was twisted around her mouth and a pair of giant purple earmuffs that were practically bigger then her head.
"I'm heading to the Coconut Tree House," Zoey replied. She started walking again and Quinn followed. "I got a job there. I told you that a few days ago, remember?" She glanced at her watch and started to pick up the pace.
"I do recall you telling me something like that," Quinn said, her voice muffled because of her scarf. She pushed it down a little so she could speak clearly. "Anyways, if you're going there then I might as well tag along. I don't have any more classes today and I was hungry- don't they serve those shrimp things at the Coconut Tree House?"
Zoey shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. But I'm glad you're tagging along, I'm a bit nervous because it's my first day and all…." She took a deep breath and cold air. "Having a friend there won't be as nerve wracking."
Quinn nodded her head. They continued walking in silence when a piece of pink paper went flying into Quinn's face. She started screaming and waving her arms, trying to snatch at the piece of paper, but her scarf kept getting in the way.
"AHHH, ZOEY, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, IT COULD BE CONTAMINATED! MY RESEARCH SAYS THAT UNKNOWN PIECES OF PAPER COULD HOLD EVEN MORE GERMS THEN PEOPLES' HANDS WHEN THEY DON'T WASH IT AFTER G OING TO THE BATHROOM!"
"Too much information, Quinn!" Zoey yelled. She grabbed Quinn by the arm to stop her from jumping up and down and carefully peeled the piece of paper off of her face. Flipping it over, she started to read out loud.
BASKETBALL CAMP
Are you into basketball? PCA is offering a great opportunity for all you basketball nuts! One month off campus and learn all you need to learn about dribbling, shooting, and much more! Go to Mr. Bender's classroom for more details and to sign up.
Zoey's eyes widened. "Hey, this sounds interesting…"
A/N- Thanks for the reviews all you people! I really, really, REALLY appreciate it- and no, I'm not just saying that to make you all feel good. Really, it's true! So how do you like it so far? It doesn't have much of a plot yet, I know, but don't worry, the good stuff is coming! Also, t he song that Zoey is listening to is With You by Jessica Simpson. So anyways, keep on reading and reviewing!